Review: THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME is a marvel at Theatre Arlington!

 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 

By Simon Stephens

Based on the novel by Mark Haddon

Directed by Steven D. Morris and Bryan Stevenson

Produced by Theatre Arlington 

Audience rating: PG-13

Running Time: 2 hours 15 minutes (15-minute intermission)

Accessible Seating: Available

Hearing Devices: Available 

Sensory Friendly Showing: Not available

ASL Showing: Not available 

Sound Level: Comfortable

Noises or Visuals to Prepare for: gory death of an animal, adult language & situations, suggestions of physical violence, extreme emotional outbursts, occasional loud/distorted sound effects

“I see everything. Most other people are lazy. They never look at everything.” —Christopher, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a play based on the novel by Mark Haddon and tells the story of 15-year-old Christopher Boone (John Marshall) as he unravels the mystery of who killed his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, in gruesome fashion and ends up making truly unexpected and disturbing discoveries about his own seemingly well-ordered life.

Christopher is described and presented as unusually good at complex mathematics, a logical thinker, impatient with deception, obsessed with minutiae, and highly sensitive to external stimuli, including touch, sound, and light. He requires order and rigid routine and eschews almost all physical touch and personal interaction with others. Although author Haddon has denied specifically writing the character as having a diagnosed condition such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, we are left in no doubt through John Marshall’s performance that Christopher is neurodiverse. Marshall’s physical mannerisms included facial tics, avoiding eye contact, holding his body and limbs in tense postures, and sometimes moaning, groaning, and grunting. It was obvious he and the directing team (Steven Morris and Bryan Stevenson) had put a great deal of thought and preparation into bringing this unique character to life. Marshall's performance was sincere and committed. He sensitively reflected the complexity of the main character and, importantly, avoided caricature.

The cast consists of the four major characters, Christopher himself (Marshall), his working class father Ed (Rodney Honeycutt), his flighty mother Judy (Elizabeth Kenseck) and his caring teacher Siobhan (Megan Noble), with all other characters played by the remaining six cast members.

I was a big fan of Noble’s portrayal of Siobhan, Christopher’s teacher and often the narrator of the story. Noble’s Irish accent is beautifully done, and she lit up the stage with her playfulness. Her character is presented as perhaps the only stable and trustworthy adult in Christopher’s life. Honeycutt and Kenseck play Christopher’s parents, at first allowing us to believe we understand who they are at a surface level and then surprising us (and Christopher) with new revelations that shock us and belie our first impressions.

The rest of the company represent everyone from Christopher’s neighbors to school mates to frazzled fellow travelers on the London Underground. They are constantly moving and morphing into various elements of the unfamiliar and frightening world outside of Christopher’s home.

The staging, projection, sound and lighting (set & lighting by Bryan Stevenson, sound by Ryan Simon), were another character, used to show us the inner world of Christopher’s mind and feelings. The set is a minimalist black box with levels and “furniture” built in, creating a blank canvas for scribbles, drawings, math calculations, doors, pathways, maps, and even the vastness of space to be projected onto the black surfaces. The design is used to “illustrate” the telling of Christopher's story in real time. It moves the audience from place to place and also serves to convey his emotions, such as his distress at the information overload he’s regularly exposed to that the rest of the world doesn’t seem to notice.

In the end we begin to understand that Christopher is capable of much more than everyone assumed and that he has his own hopes and dreams. The play also points out the many flaws of his parents and other adults he encounters but allows us to contemplate forgiveness for some seemingly unforgivable acts.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is rawly emotional and a technical marvel. See this compelling production through May 25 at Theatre Arlington.

On with the show,

Stacey Simpson Calvert